need advice. please help

[viruzjk]

please help me. any advice is appreciated.
i have read to remove bio balls from the sump. i just wish i could make the water fall sound a little less loud.

this is a pic of the tank im currently working on. its a 150 gallon tank. i have 3 250w metal halides. 3 korilla 4 power heads for flow. and i have a berlin hob skimmer. i have to order a pump for it though so it isn't hooked up at the moment. my questions are do i need to cover the halides some how they are kinda close to the tank. im worried about salt kreep on them. i just mounted them to the top of the canopy. im going barebottom for this tank there is a little bit of sand that was on the rock when i put it in the tank. now the sand is on the bottom is there any easy way of getting this out ?

here is a pic of my 36 gallon tank been set up for about a year now. im thinking of upgrading the lighting.

 

[Savas]

Did I miss the question and the bioballs?

 

[Twz]

S for the bioballs, if you can, but some pvc on the inside of the chamber (to extend the pipe so it goes into the water)

And i had also read you had a Berlin skimmer?
from my experience you're better off having no skimmer, i had mine fore about two years screwing with it trying to get it to take ANYTHING out but to no avail.

 

[plyr58]

How far are those MH bulbs from your water surface? if they are less than 8" to 10", hello, fish boil. I don't know how you could cover them without reducing your light output and those bulbs can explode when they are super hot from being on and then get hit by water. Probably easier to raise your canopy somehow to get them further from the H2O. Just my .2.

 

[obone]

i would do a reefigium down there specialy since you have coral, throw a light over that, live rock and bioballs are still good tho

 

[viruzjk]

i have a chiller on the tank so i dont think the fish will boil. the tank is set at a constant 78 degrees. if i raise the canopy there will be a gap then i would be blinded by the light from the gap. a refugium is a good idea also i could put chaeto algae in there. as for the skimmer what would anyone suggest for a hang on the back and the tank is barebottom.

 

[Twz]

HOB skimmers i find very inefficient
i have a Terminator II skimmer in sump (you can use this skimmer like you can a canister filter)
and it works Ammazing!
But i have found better results from my seaclone the i have the berlin.

 

[viruzjk]

hmmm thanks for the advice. i just dont think there is enough room under the tank for a bulky skimmer. plus that is not really a sump its a wet dry filter could i put a skimmer like that inside the wet dry?